Privacy Policy

Who we are:

Travel Europe Guide is an independent travel blog based in Liverpool, England. We are the data controller for this website under UK GDPR and EU GDPR.

If you have questions about your data, email: info@traveleuropeguide.com

1. What data we collect

a) Data you give us:

• Email address when you sign up for our Europe Planning Checklist
• Name if you provide it in email signup
• Messages you send via contact form

b) Data collected automatically:

• IP address, browser type, device type
• Pages visited, time on page, clicks on affiliate links (/go/ links)
• Search queries on /hotels/ and /flights/ white-label pages [city, dates, passengers – we do not see your card details]
• Approximate location from IP [city level, not exact]

c) Cookies and similar:
See section 5.

2. How we collect it

• Directly from you when you sign up or email us
• Automatically via Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console
• Via affiliate networks: Travelpayouts, Awin, Booking.com Affiliate, GetYourGuide, Aviasales when you click our links
• Via white-label search: When you search on /hotels/ and /flights/, your search goes to Booking.com / Aviasales API – we do not store your search on our server except anonymous analytics

3. Legal basis [UK & EU GDPR]

• Consent: When you sign up for checklist – you can withdraw anytime
• Legitimate interest: Analytics to improve guides, affiliate tracking to fund guides
• Contract: When you email us asking for help

4. How we use your data

• Send you the 27-point Europe Planning Checklist PDF and occasional travel tips [max 2 emails/month, unsubscribe link in every email]
• Improve our guides: Which hotels/tours people search for
• Track affiliate commissions: So Booking.com knows you came from us [via cookie, not your email]
• Reply to your messages

We do NOT sell your data. Ever.

5. Cookies

Essential [always on]:

• Kadence/WordPress session – keeps site working

Analytics [you can opt-out via cookie banner]:

• Google Analytics 4 (_ga, _gid) – anonymous page views, 14 months retention
• Google Search Console – search queries that brought you here

Affiliate Tracking [when you click affiliate link]:

• Travelpayouts (tp-*) – 30 days – tracks booking to pay us commission
• Awin (awin-*) – 30 days – Omio, Trainline, FlixBus, Airalo
• Booking.com (bkng-*) – 30 days
• GetYourGuide/ Viator (gyg-*) – 31 days

Email:

• ConvertKit / Mailchimp / Fluent Forms – if you sign up, stores email

You can block cookies in browser, but search widgets may not work.

6. White-Label Hotels & Flights Search
Our pages /hotels/ and /flights/ are powered by Booking.com and Aviasales/WayAway via Travelpayouts.

When you search:

• Your search goes directly to Booking.com / Aviasales servers, not stored by us[city][dates]
• Booking/payment happens on Booking.com / airline site, not on traveleuropeguide.com
• We do NOT see or store your name, card number, passport
• Booking.com / Aviasales privacy policies apply at checkout: booking.com/content/privacy and aviasales.com/privacy

7. Who we share data with

• Email provider: ConvertKit / Mailchimp / Fluent Forms [US, with standard contractual clauses for GDPR]
• Analytics: Google LLC [US]
• Affiliate networks: Travelpayouts LTD [UK], Awin AG, Booking.com BV[Germany][Netherlands]
• Hosting: Your host [e.g., Hostinger/Cloudways] – server logs
• No data sold to advertisers

8. How long we keep data

• Email subscribers: Until you unsubscribe – then deleted within 30 days
• Analytics: 14 months then auto-deleted
• Contact emails: 12 months
• Affiliate click logs: 90 days anonymous

9. Your rights [UK GDPR, EU GDPR, CCPA]

You have right to:

• Access – ask what data we have on you
• Correction – fix wrong data
• Deletion – delete your email and data
• Object – stop analytics tracking
• Portability – get your data as CSV
• Withdraw consent – unsubscribe anytime

To exercise: Email hello@traveleuropeguide.com with subject “GDPR Request”. We reply within 30 days.

For UK complaints: ICO – ico.org.uk
For EU: Your local DPA

10. Children’s data
We do not knowingly collect data from under 16. If you are under 16, do not sign up.

11. Security
We use SSL, Cloudflare, daily backups, WordPress security updates. No system is 100% secure, but we take reasonable steps.[https]

12. International transfers
Our email and analytics providers are US-based. We use standard contractual clauses and only transfer minimal data [email, anonymous analytics].

13. Changes
We will update this page and change date at top. For material changes, we email subscribers.